New Life Presbyterian Church of La Mesa

"...in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth..."

Last week we noted the way the Creed began: I believe.  Simple enough.  Nevertheless, in beginning this way we are reminded that Christians believe certain things.  Christianity is not a buffet.  You don’t walk through the line choosing this and rejecting that.  Rather, something is placed in front of you and you take it or leave it.  It is a package deal, and the Creed offers to us the most rudimentary facets of that package.  It begins with the simple statement about God the Father.  In so doing, it is explicitly Trinitarian and anticipates something to be said about God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  That anticipation will soon be realized as the Creed unfolds.

Three things are said of God here in this simple statement.  First, he is God the Father.  Like the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father who art in heaven), the Creed juxtaposes the exalted transcendence of God (Almighty) with his immanence.  More than immanence, though, the Creed hints at redemption.  Only those who confess the particulars of this creed can call God Father.  In Christ, he has graciously redeemed us, making us part of his family, sons and daughters of the most high God.  As our Father, he cares for, provides and protects.

However, the Creed doesn’t linger here long.  It moves quickly to the transcendence of God.  He is el shaddi, God Almighty (Gen. 17:1).  This is the way God referred to himself when he encouraged Abraham.  To be “almighty” means to be able to do whatever it is you wish to do.  It means that you are utterly sovereign and lacking in nothing.  Not surprisingly, the majority of uses of shaddi (“almighty”) in the Hebrew Bible are found in the book of Job.

Since God is described as “Almighty,” it follows that he is therefore able to create all things out of nothing (cf. Gen. 1:3; Jn. 1; Heb. 1:1-4; Col. 1:15ff).  Scripture everywhere and often ascribes to God the creative power of calling into existence as world that which at one time never existed (cf. Rev. 4:11).  This is the classic way to refer to the works of God.  God makes himself known in creation and redemption.  Redemption is coming.  For now, the Creed hones in on creation. 

In affirming that God is the maker of “heaven and earth,” the language is very consciously chosen from the first words of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).  Simply put, this is a way (merism) to say: God created the heavens (the unseen) and the earth (the seen) and everything else in between.  It is a rather remarkable statement.  Hopefully, it hasn’t become so familiar as to lose all of its punch.  We exist because he has spoken us into existence.  The depth of the universe and its complexity is mind-boggling.  The handiwork evidenced in creation is simply breathtaking, and we affirm God is behind all of this. 

We serve an amazing God, God the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.